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rate was amongst the lowest in England. How has this state of 
things been brought about? Simply by the introduction of a 
couple of the most prominent laws which govern the sanitation of 
our towns and cities, viz., efficient sewerage, and abundance of 
good water. Where both are used as they ought to be, preventible 
diseases will seldom or never be heard of. Overcrowding, or bad 
ventilation, may prove a source of disease; but in a town like 
Whitehaven, both these evils will be difficult wholly to eradicate, 
although I see from Dr. Lumb’s reports, that the governing body 
are sparing neither trouble nor expense to protect the inhabitants 
of crowded localities against themselves. 
Perhaps the next most important place in my district is Cleator. 
Here most of the property is owned by Messrs. Lindow and 
Mr. Ainsworth, and to their credit be it said, the place is tolerably 
well sewered, and there is a plentiful supply of good water. 
Messrs. Lindow get their supply from Dent, and Mr. Ainsworth gets 
his from the Cleator Moor water works. The sewage finds its way 
into the rivers Ehen and Keekle. The consequence is, that at 
Cleator there is very little to complain of, and the rate of mortality 
is one of the lowest in the district. I must again step out of my 
bounds into the district of Cleator Moor. Here a medical officer 
is appointed to look after it, so that in that capacity I have not the 
power to make any inspection. But as medical officer for the 
parish, my attention was called to a case of typhoid fever there. - 
In company with some of the Guardians, I visited the place, and 
in looking for the cause, I found a very dirty yard covered with all 
sorts of garbage and refuse immediately adjoining the house where 
the case occurred. The drain was also stopped, and the place 
emitted such a combination of fever-producing effluvia, that no 
doubt was left on my mind as to the cause of the disease. It will 
thus be seen that, even where efficient sewerage and plenty of 
water are placed at the disposal of the people, occasionally both 
are painfully, and in some cases fatally, neglected. The filthy 
habits which are too often to be found existing amongst our pauper 
population, are, doubtless, prominent elements in the procreation 
of the class of diseases alluded to. 
